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Is Niagara Magic Live worth it?
A plain answer on Niagara Magic Live: what the 90 minutes hold, how it suits children, the ID and camera rules, dinner, and the group-size clause.
Book the magic show ↗Quick answer
Yes, for most families and couples who want an evening indoors near Clifton Hill. Niagara Magic Live is a 90-minute stage show of large illusions, close-up magic and a storyline, in a 550-seat theatre, pitched at all ages. Bring a passport or ID card, leave cameras and strollers behind, and budget separately for food and drinks. The one real risk: the show can be cancelled or moved if too few people book.
The short answer
Book it if you want a seated evening of magic close to the Clifton Hill lights and your group can settle into a theatre for ninety minutes. The show pairs big stage illusions with sleight of hand performed close to the audience, and it ties them together with a story, which keeps it from feeling like a string of unrelated tricks. Skip it if your time in Niagara is short and every hour belongs to the water: this is a theatre show, and nothing in it involves the falls. Among recent reviews, one family brought children of six, nine and ten and reported that all three loved it, and another visitor called it the highlight of the trip after the falls.
- Book it for a seated, all-ages evening of illusions
- Skip it if your evening has room only for the falls
- Pair it with Clifton Hill and the falls under floodlights afterwards
What the ninety minutes hold
The booking page describes a 90-minute performance mixing grand illusions, sleight of hand and a storyline. In the vocabulary of the craft, grand illusions are the large-scale effects built for a theatre, usually with assistants and big props, while sleight of hand is the fine finger work behind card and coin magic. Reviewers mention volunteers brought up on stage and plenty of crowd involvement, so the front rows are not purely for watching. What this guide will not do is list the tricks or their order. Acts change, and a magic show loses something when you know what is coming. Another guide here explains the kinds of stage magic, without spoilers.
Is it good for children?
It is sold as a family show for kids, parents and grandparents. Two rules matter more for families than for anyone else. Baby strollers are not allowed in the theatre, so a show with a sleeping toddler needs a different plan. And ninety minutes is a long sit for a very young child, especially at the end of a day at the falls. For children who can manage that, the mix of large illusions and audience participation is the draw. Older children who already know a few card tricks tend to enjoy the close-up sections most, because those are the ones they can try to work out.
Who is on stage
The headline performer is Greg Frewin, and the theatre carries his name. The theatre's own site describes him as the International Grand Champion of Magic and lists first places at competitions run by the International Brotherhood of Magicians, the Society of American Magicians and the Canadian Association of Magicians, along with a Magician of the Year award at the World Magic Awards in 2009. The booking page says the show is recognised by the International Brotherhood of Magicians, an organisation that, as Wikipedia notes, was founded in Winnipeg in 1922. Casts change over the years, so this guide does not promise who else will appear on your date.
The rules at the door
Three rules catch visitors out. First, bring a passport or an ID card: it is on the list of things to bring, so do not leave it in the hotel safe. Second, cameras are not allowed, which means this is an evening to watch rather than record. Take your photographs on Clifton Hill before the doors open or at the falls afterwards. Third, outside food and drink stay at the door, and so do baby strollers. All three are easy to miss when you book from a phone on the way to the falls.
Food, drink and the buffet add-on
The ticket covers admission and Harmonised Sales Tax, and that is all. Food, drinks and tips are extra. A licensed bar, a snack counter and a magic shop are open at every performance, and one reviewer was pleasantly surprised to find themed drinks and food on order during the show. If you want a sit-down meal, the theatre offers a buffet dinner before the performance, but you add it through the theatre's box office, not through this booking. There is also a drink and appetiser menu to buy before the show. The theatre's dinner page notes that menus change with the season and that a gratuity is added to bills, so check the current terms when you call.
The group-size clause and cancelling
One line on the booking page deserves a second read: a performance may be cancelled or moved when the minimum group size is not reached. If yours is, settle it with GetYourGuide, which holds the booking, not with the theatre. Your own terms are flexible. You can reserve today and pay nearer the date, and cancelling 24 hours or more before curtain gets your money back in full. That argues for booking an evening early in your stay rather than your last night: a moved show then still has somewhere to land, and holding seats costs you nothing.
Finding the theatre
The theatre stands at 5781 Ellen Avenue in Niagara Falls, Ontario, near Clifton Hill. Wikipedia describes Clifton Hill as the street that runs from River Road on the Niagara Parkway up to Victoria Avenue, lined with gift shops, wax museums, arcades and restaurants, and a centre of the town's night life. If you are staying in the tourist area, walking is the simple option. WEGO, the visitor bus system run by the Niagara Parks Commission, has a line that loops via Table Rock, Clifton Hill and Fallsview, which suits anyone coming from the falls or the hotels on the escarpment. Drivers should know that parking costs extra.
Who this isn't for
Travellers with a single evening in Niagara who would rather spend it at the falls under the floodlights should do exactly that; nothing in the theatre replaces that view. It is a poor fit for families with a baby who needs a stroller, and for anyone who wants to film the evening, since cameras are not allowed. If you expect dinner in the price, adjust: the ticket is admission only. And if your plans cannot move at all, weigh the clause that lets the theatre reschedule a performance that has not sold enough seats. For a short, weatherproof alternative, the SkyWheel on Clifton Hill takes around ten minutes.
How to book
Open the calendar on this page and choose an evening; it lists start times and whatever seating is left. Seats can be held today and paid for later, and free cancellation runs until a day before the show. Want the buffet? Arrange it with the theatre's box office once your seats are confirmed. Arrive early enough for the bar or the magic shop if either appeals, carry your ID and leave the camera at the hotel. Then build the evening outward from the curtain time: a ride on the wheel, a walk down Clifton Hill, or the falls lit up after dark. Another guide sets the show against the SkyWheel for families.
Read next: Magic show or the SkyWheel?
Frequently asked questions
How long is Niagara Magic Live?
Roughly an hour and a half. Each date has its own start time, listed in the calendar when you choose it.
Can young children go?
Yes, the show is pitched at all ages. Baby strollers are not allowed in the theatre, so the show suits children who can sit through ninety minutes.
Is dinner included in the ticket?
No. The ticket covers admission and sales tax. A buffet dinner before the show can be added through the theatre's box office, and the bar and snack counter are open at every performance.
Can I bring a camera?
No. The theatre does not allow cameras, so save your photographs for Clifton Hill or the falls.
What if the theatre cancels my performance?
The show can be cancelled or moved if too few people book. Sort out a new date or a refund through GetYourGuide, where you made the booking.
Do I really need ID?
Yes. A passport or an ID card is on the list of things to bring.
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